


Epilogue

by ArtForRogue



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura Alive and Well, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chapter 2 is Spice and I'm not apologizing, Fix-It, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, Season 8, Season/Series 08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-20 13:41:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17023662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtForRogue/pseuds/ArtForRogue
Summary: The distance between them was like a smattering of galaxies; full of secrets and birthed from a source unknown.Shiro never had a right to return Keith's love.Or: a fix it fic where Keith finally finds out why Shiro is treating him like a stranger and everyone gets their happy ending





	1. Chapter 1

The distance between them was like a smattering of galaxies; full of secrets and birthed from a source unknown.

At first Keith had blamed it on the neverending press of the war. There were more important aspects to focus on besides a new scar and a desperate plea. It stung, but Keith was dragged in all directions too and no longer had the luxury of privacy or time; so for the moment Keith let the words remain unsaid.

The hospital should have been the turning point -- it should have been the end and the beginning. It could have been everything.

But Shiro never came.

When he did visit he was flanked by the other Paladins, who all shot Keith confused glances when Shiro would never linger behind.

“Shiro, did something happen?”

“No.” Shiro blinked up at Keith, his warmth strained and uncomfortable. “I’m fine.”

It came naturally to blame himself. When the simple excuses were too easily dispelled, Keith reached to darker, more honest truths and let them eat him and eat and eat.

War didn’t allow for open, honest conversations, but neither did death. When Keith nearly boiled alive and Shiro just gaped at him, frustration finally granted him the courage to corner Shiro in his bedroom and demand answers.

He wanted so desperately to pound his fists into Shiro’s chest and wrangle the answers out of him that way but even in all his anger, in all his confusion, he would die before hurting Shiro. They shared a few heated, biting words before Keith finally hissed out, “You remember our battle Shiro, I know it in the way you look at my scar. Please, Shiro, _please,_ just tell me where we went wrong! You never had to return my feelings, I just,” he fumbled, quieter now, “I can’t lose you as my friend.”

“Keith. It’s not my love to return.” Shiro spoke so low, so quiet, Keith had to lean forward just to hear his words. Even then, he couldn’t comprehend what he was admitting to, as he said, “It never was.”

It didn’t feel right to touch him, but Keith couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and take his hand, linking their fingers in the hope it would keep them both stable for awhile longer. Keith’s voice wavered all the same. “You’re everything to me, Takashi." Keith pleaded. "I love you."

Silence sat between them, stifling as their eyes met. Keith could feel the horror dawning on him the same moment Shiro confessed, “I’m not the Shiro you knew, Keith.”

“You may have the body of a clone, but --”

Keith was always in a hurry to defend Shrio, always quick to rise to anger even when it was uncalled for. Even when Shiro just watched him with sad, tired gray eyes and waited for him to fall into a hush. Shiro squeezed their hands together and gave a small, barely-there shake of his head. “The Blades of Marmora, in all their wisdom, chose the wrong Shiro to save. Keith...he’s still out there.”

“No.” There was no breath left in his body, and the room was shrinking down to a finite point, but Keith could still manage the energy to deny. “No, no, you’re lying. Why are you -- why are you _lying--_ you bonded with the Black Lion, she would never --”

“I never had malice in my heart. Black understood that. You all were so convinced that I was who I had been trained to be… it wasn’t hard to start where he had left off. With you, or with anyone. Everything was so new, and there was never a moment to rest -- you blame yourself for never realizing who Kuron truly was, but Keith, I was never him either.”

Racking sobs answered him, and Shiro fell to a respectful quiet. He ran his thumb soothingly up and down his knuckles, never in a rush for Keith, willing to wait as long as it took for him to acknowledge this new, horrid truth.

In the deepest part of his heart, Keith knew what he said was true. That the Shiro he knew and loved was still lost among the stars, forever out of his reach and with no hope for return. Nothing had changed from that night in the desert.

“I still loved you.” Keith choked out his last, single truth.

“I loved you too, Keith.” In his final act of kindness, Shiro bent and brushed his lips to Keith’s forehead in solemn reverence. They had a war to finish and loved ones to protect, so when the conversation ended with Keith’s tears staining his cheeks and Shiro still as the shadows he had been born from, Keith knew there was no return.

…

With Honerva defeated, the Lions gone, and their endless realm of realities restored, Keith was finally able to go. He left under the guise of returning with the Blades to Daibazaal; and he would return if his search was fruitless, so it wasn’t far from the truth. It was enough to console his friends for now with a promise to return in a year for the celebration of New Altea.

Shiro had helped Keith map out the coordinates of the star-cluster in question, going off of what last trace he had felt of the original source. It wasn’t much to go off of at first glance, but when they both realized what had happened in that star-cluster, Keith knew exactly where to pilot his ship.

That there was any part of the clone facility still standing was something akin to a miracle. Keith picked his way through the cliffside rubble, padded Marmora-uniform boots allowing him to scale the gaping abyss with better ease than his Voltron armor had so long ago. The platform that had been the stage for the fight between the two Black Paladins was long lost to the planet below, scattered into millions of pieces, but a small path before the initial descent called to Keith.

He couldn’t remember if the door had been open prior or not -- his blind panic in retrieving Shiro prevented him from observing his surroundings -- but it was the only way forward for now. He padded down the black stone steps and marveled in the purple crystals that illuminated the way below, even after all this time. The descent was deep, and spiraled around near the end, but Keith felt no relief when he reached the very bottom.

It was a hollowed cavern filled with more purple crystals -- empty save for a spare desk here and there, and a lone cylindrical vat. The familiar image of it was enough to shock Keith into the sudden urge to crack it open, but he saw it was empty, and there was no point in wasting the energy. He followed it to the back, one hand to the glass, and found the controls. They were damaged beyond repair, the few remaining buttons flickering with intermittent power.

Whatever had been in there was long gone now.

Keith turned his gaze to the other vats along the back wall and found they were empty too. But these were far dustier, with hairline cracks splitting the glass here and there. When Keith raised his blade to the curve of it, it crumbled with no effort.

Even if the true Takashi Shirogane had been kept here for cloning, he was gone now. Keith couldn’t put a date on the dust buildup of the location, but if he had to guess --

His thoughts short-circuited when a small thudding noise sounded off. It was deeper, even farther down in the cavern, some small cave Keith likely hadn’t seen yet. His feet moved all on their own and led him onward until he found the source.

The offshoot cave was smaller, but the rusted maw of a gate was unmistakable. Keith flipped on his nightvision goggles to confirm what his heart was screaming was true, and he found his answer within seconds.

There had been an escape pod here.

Multiple.

They had all been deployed.

Any records there were on the storage and model of the pods was long lost to moisture rot, but Keith knew Shiro. Even as an exceptional pilot, Galra tech would be tricky and foreign to him -- he would want to escape to the nearest safe point and recoup.

It took a lot of shoving and a slew of curses, but Keith managed to open the gate enough to peer out. There were scrapes along the linked rock formations that had been calcified around and left like open wounds. From here, Keith could confirm two things:

None of the pods had failed to leave the cloning facility.

The planet below was easily accessible with even the simplest Galra transports.

Keith scrambled from the underground cavern at a speed that surprised even him -- when he slid on the steps and cracked his left knee against the rock he didn’t even flinch, just placed his palms on the step above and brought himself back to his feet. The adrenaline pumping through him didn’t allow Keith to give second thought to anything, much less the state of the planet he was visiting.

The impact from the falling debris had scarred the land and left it ugly with massive craters, bits of gray Galra tech sticking out like the arrowhead out of a target. Fauna attempted to reclaim the damaged pieces, but there was the ever-present rings of purple crystal to signal the Galra poison.

Tilting his ship to its side, Keith followed the curve of the planet in search of life. There weren’t any beasts so far as he could tell, nor civilizations. It was quiet, peaceful -- a good place to hide.

A good place to die.

The thought struck his heart before Keith could swallow it back, and his grasp on the controls slipped for just a tick because of it. Keith bit back his anxiety just in time to see the small network of caves. They lay just outside the ring of damage, tucked away so conspicuously Keith would have thought them normal hills were it not for the smoke that rose from the centre.

When he landed his ship and activated the diagnostics for the outside atmosphere, it was with trembling hands. The screen lit up with acceptable bio readings and Keith tore himself out of his seat with no further delay.

In hindsight, the smoke could have been any number of things.

There may not have been any active life on the surface, but they could have been limited to the cave networks.

It could have been pollen from another type of fauna escaping to the outside -- another reason for Keith to wear his Blade’s mask, which he opted against since the air was passable.

And as always, Keith could caught in his own personal hell. This could all be a horrible different reality where Shiro didn’t love him, Honerva won, and Voltron was a forgotten disgrace, leaving Keith to chase trails that were never there in the first place.

He paused at the entrance of the cave and called out, voice unwavering. “Shiro?”

His voice echoed off the walls in a mocking answer, repeating back with each bounce a weaker-sounding call. When nothing answered, Keith pressed forward. The floor of the caves were marred at the opening, scars deep and as ugly as the craters just a few dobashes north. Keith followed their unintentional path further inside until he hit the first pile of metal.

It was a graveyard of tech unlike any Keith had ever seen -- melded anew to use as makeshift appliances. His fingers were just skimming over the top of what he suspected worked as a freezer when the unmistakable thrill of a photon gun sounded behind him.

Keith took a sharp breath and stood still, his face turning just the smallest fraction to look behind his shoulder. His bangs blocked all but the unmistakable pink glow of a Galra gun. The blade at his hip suddenly felt three times heavier, especially so when he knew the figure behind him could see it plainly. Keith had come into the caves like a wolf baring his teeth.

“Turn slow.”

It could have been lifetimes separating them, but Keith would never forget that voice. His throat closed with the threat of tears, air suddenly so precious and hard to find, but Keith willed himself not to cry yet. He turned slowly, just as he was instructed, and came face to face with Shiro.

The gun didn’t lower, at first -- and it took a few ticks for Keith to realize that Shiro didn’t recognize him. How long had it been since he had last seen Keith? There was no way to confirm that the mental link shared between the clones applied to the source, as well. This could very well be the first time they had properly seen each other in six years.

“Shiro.” Keith breathed out his name like a loving prayer.

He was aware how he looked. Wearing Blade of Marmora armor hadn’t been his first choice but the Voltron armor felt sacrilegious with the Black Lion destroyed, and his normal biker jacket combo no longer fit after his return from the Space Whale. But the tears streaking down his face were authentic enough that the Shiro in front of him hesitated. Galra didn’t cry.

“Shiro…!” His heart ached at how Shiro looked. It was like finding Kuron all over again -- gaunt, with hair long and unruly, wearing clothes that had been salvaged from the cloning facility far too long ago.

Resting just above his chest on a chain rusted to hell and back were Keith Kogane’s dog tags.

_It had taken every bit of his courage to suggest they exchange them for the Kerboros launch. Shiro had laughed shyly at the thought, mulling it over for all of three seconds before pulling his own chain over his head and offering it to Keith._

_“Something to remember me by?” Shiro had teased._

_Keith’s cheeks had stained pink so easily back then. “Something to come home for. Don’t need you getting lost to space rocks, out there in the infinite wonders of space.”_

_“Oh.” Shiro’s voice was so, so soft. “You don’t need to worry about that, Keith.”_

The recognition finally clicked for Shiro. The gun, once half-heartedly raised, clattered to the ground. “Keith?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Say it, over and over, until I never forget

The weight of what was lost didn't hit Keith until Shiro pulled him into a crushing embrace and he pressed his cheek into the wrinkled fabric of Shiro's flight suit. Tears stained his shoulder at an alarming rate, and Keith should have pulled away sooner, but he found his mind blissfully empty once wrapped in Shiro's warmth. “Shiro,” he choked out, muffled as Shiro squeezed him tighter, “is this a dream?”

“I should be the one asking you.” Shiro laughed past his own tears and released Keith just a fraction so they could breathe. Even then, it felt like such a loss. Keith clawed his hands into the fabric of Shiro's chest and anchored him in place. The motion didn't go unnoticed, but Shiro said nothing of it, just pulled him in softer the second time.

When they pulled away to look one another over, Keith had expected a slew of questions and braced himself for them, but Shiro just gave him a sad, tired smile so reminiscent to the Shiro back on Earth and Keith knew it wasn't necessary. They talked for a long time anyway, Keith filling in the bits and pieces the clones hadn't been able to.

“It was like clicking through TV channels every five minutes -- sometimes it would just be darkness, and sometimes it would be the view from Black's pilot seat.” Shiro explained, “There were a few times I could keep the link open for longer, but Honerva's power kept me subdued for so long. Images didn't always connect. Eventually her power left that place and the remaining clones were able to rescue me. We travelled here but their bodies … something was wrong. I don't know. One day they were just gone.” Shiro rubbed his arm at the thought, idly tracing along the metal plating.

“Do you know how long you have been here?” Keith prompted. If Shiro had aged at all in the vat, Keith would guess only a year or two -- every other sign of weariness would leave with a few weeks’ worth of decent meals and a regular exercise routine.

But Shiro had stopped counting days after enough time passed -- the knife marks on the wall were eventually more tortuous than helpful. He had come to terms with his final destination.

A small, one-way radio was his only connection to the outside world. The connection was shoddy but it was better than sitting in silence for however many years -- and Shiro had managed to learn some Galra language from it.

Shiro hadn’t been idle during his stay -- he traveled outside the caves to walk the few regions that marked the earth. It only took him a few days, and there wasn’t much to see, but all of it had been carefully mapped with Shiro’s steady hand on the discarded pages of the ship’s flight manual.

When that wasn’t enough, he would write journals about the passing Galra sentries. They weren’t programmed to respond to any flares, so Shiro didn’t bother to ignite them, and found they prevented any other ships from coming close enough to offer assistance. They had fallen not long after Honerva’s demise, but by then the flares were ruined with age.

“We can go anywhere you want, Shiro. You’ve seen where we’ve been as Paladins of Voltron.” Keith offered later that night as they sat around the small heater Shiro had salvaged. “Anywhere in the universe.”

Shiro pretended to ponder it over, flashing Keith a cheeky smile as he mumbled, “Well, I never did finish my mission to Kerberos…”

“If that’s what you want.”

“No, I,” Shiro laughed, “I don’t even know where to begin. New Altea? Diabazaal? Maybe a Balmera cluster? Anywhere with you, Keith. I just want to see what’s out there with my own eyes.”

The breath left Keith in a whoosh, but he had enough sense to nod. “Yeah, we can do that. I’m supposed to reconvenine with the Blades on Diabazaal...we can get you some new clothes there and make any arrangements.”

It was a promise that left the both of them shaky with the full mystery of what their future held. Keith felt there was  more to say, maybe, but Shiro just took his hand and pulled him closer. They moved closer together, and stared at the warm orange glow of the heater in companionable silence. The events of the day were starting to catch up with Keith and drag his eyelids closed, bit by bit, and he caught his head bobbing more than once. Shiro must have noticed, because he dragged up the blanket tighter around the two of them and pressed a gentle kiss to his temple. “Rest up, Keith.” 

When he next blinked, it was morning. Keith jolted up and took a hurried breath in, turning until he spotted Shiro’s hunched back over the heater. Relief washed through him at the knowledge that yesterday wasn’t a dream, and Keith once more had to bite back tears. “Shiro.”

Shiro turned to him with a blinding smile, looking ages better than when he had been discovered just the day prior. “Morning.” He passed a small polished plate of metal into Keith’s hands and looked down expectantly. There was no way to determine what kind of  _ meat  _ that was, but Keith recognized some of the local fauna. It had absolutely no right to smell this good sizzling in his cupped hands.

They ate together, talked more about their plans to leave, and took to packing up the cave. Shiro had quietly decided to leave it all behind since space was so limited on the ship, but they at least managed to shove everything in a conspicuous pile at the very back.

Shiro took one look at them, now sweaty from moving dead tech, and suggested they have a quick wash.

Keith should have seen the suggestion for the trap that it was, but he just nodded, relieved that they would be leaving for their long trip freshly cleaned. The underground pool Shiro led them to was fed into by a small, gentle waterfall, just enough noise to create a pleasing murmur. Luminescent mushrooms lined the walls and bathed them both in a quiet red glow. Keith stripped himself down with his eyes averted to give Shiro the illusion of privacy, but he heard Shiro’s breath catch once the Blades suit was peeled off.

A warm hand cupped Keith’s hip and he turned with it, face-to-face with Shiro’s look of awe. “They were earned.” Keith whispered in explanation. His scars nearly mirrored Shiro’s in quantity and ugliness now, proof of his devotion to the Blades of Marmora.

There were sure to be more on him by the time they traveled the span of the universe.

Shiro’s thumb was warm against Keith’s rapidly-chilling skin. He moved it slow over the largest scar on his shoulder and pressed in with the rest of his hand after, until his palm was dragging across Keith’s bare chest. He looked star-struck at the sight but Keith dared not move. His palm continued its path down and up, searching for some unknown. Keith couldn't help his small shiver, laughed dryly when Shiro murmured about them matching now. Shiro's voice grew incredibly tender once his gray eyes settled on the cut slashed across Keith’s cheek. “You never gave up on me.”

It wasn't the conversation he had been expecting, but Keith knew this answer well enough to say, “I meant what I said.”

As many times as it takes.

Shiro sucked in a shuddering breath and gave a small nod of understanding. Silence steeped between them after, so Keith assumed that was that and made to move into the water only for Shiro’s hand on his hip to tighten in protest.

“Shiro?”

“Keith.” There was a hint of danger in Shiro’s eyes nearly hidden in the darkness of the cave, but Keith knew that this was for him, and him alone. “Will you let me fight for you, this time?”

It hurt like hell to pull away now, but Keith would never forgive himself if this was what he thought Shiro was offering. Words left him in a rush, hurrying to amend any misunderstandings. “I don’t have any expectations of you. I just wanted my friend back. I --” He trailed off again, unsure, but Shiro just waited.

When Keith refused to elaborate, Shiro was the first to break through the quiet. “I love you, Keith.” His voice was nothing more than a whisper but the promise of his words struck through Keith as violently as a sword’s blade. “I have been here, in this cave, for  _ years,  _ just watching. Watching through my other live’s eyes and wishing I could have what they had. Telling myself that if by some miracle, you would ever find me this one last time, I would right all wrongs.”

Keith didn’t realize he was crying again until Shiro cupped his cheek and dragged his thumb soothingly through the tear streaks. He hiccuped around the words stuck in his throat and nodded, unable to do anything more so long as Shiro held him as tenderly as he was right now.

“I love you.” Shiro whispered again. “I’m sorry if I ever made you doubt that.”

The effort to form words was too much for Keith. There was so much to be said, with time seemingly finite and deadly and working against them at every opportunity, but Keith found himself mute under Shiro’s expectations.

He wanted to say it.

He wanted to say he loved Shiro.

But the pointed silence after their fight at the cloning facility had left him achingly empty. He had clipped his affection into small, bite-sized pieces, and stuffed them away to die in his heart so long ago. To have Shiro here, gently picking up the pieces to put everything back in place was jarring.

Keith wanted to heal.

He wanted this more than anything.

“You don’t have to say it, Keith.” The fact that Shiro’s smile was laced with an understanding sadness made Keith want to shout it out even more. He opened and closed his mouth in protest, but Shiro moved closer and brought both hands up to cup Keith’s face. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Keith pressed into Shiro in answer.

It was unfair how Shiro kissed him; like he was his first, his last, and his everything.

Their lips met again and again, begging for more, but by the time Keith calmed enough to breathe between each tiny separation the urgency there was all-consuming.

He wanted to whine when Shiro held them apart, but it gave him a chance to catch his breath and form some rational thought. Not that anything especially enlightening was coming to mind -- Shiro had closed the distance between them in-between kisses and neither of them had a single piece of clothing left on them.

There was a warm spike of curiosity trailing down his spine and pooling in his stomach, embarrassingly noticeable to the point that even Shiro shifted in response.

Eager fingers curled into the back of Shiro’s head, grasping the long, soft hair there. Keith almost missed the old scrape of Shiro’s undercut in that moment, but gasped happily when Shiro captured him in another kiss. They shuffled closer, two taunt lines of heat pressed together in the low, red glow of a cave out in the mysterious vastness of space. Keith would have laughed at the insanity of it but Shiro’s tongue swiped against his bottom lip, and Keith opened up eagerly with a moan.

“Keith,” Shiro’s voice was still so quiet, but Keith finally heard the undercurrent of devotion there, hidden in plain sight, “will you let me do this for you?”

“Yes. Yes, Shiro,  _ please. _ ”

Once more, Keith pressed forward to kiss Shiro, but found himself getting scooped up into his arms instead. His voice left him in an unflattering yelp overshadowed by Shiro’s answering laugh. They dipped down into the water together, pressed as close as sin, and Keith let himself be manhandled for only a moment more before he whined for more.

The water was cold and refreshing against Keith’s sweaty skin, but the shock of temperature felt wrong until Shiro brought them chest-to-chest again. He hadn’t known what to expect, honestly. Keith still felt raw from his tears, and Shiro managed to soothe some of it over with feather-light, loving kisses, but it all came rushing back when he whispered, “I love you,” again.

“Shiro…!” Keith whined, cut off half-way when he felt tongue rasp against his nipple. There was a slight shift underwater as Shiro adjusted his grip on Keith’s back. He obediently hitched his legs up on Shiro’s hips and spread himself wide, blush crawling from head to toe at the obscene position it left him in.

Shiro didn’t mind -- he just pressed forward and moaned softly when their cocks dragged against one another under the water.

The back of Keith’s head bumped gently against the wall of the cave, keeping him grounded. One hand splashed out from the water to scramble for purchase and found a break in the rock for him to clutch to. Shiro ran his nose across the expanse of Keith’s chest and lapped against the other nipple in loving reverence. There was just a moment of clarity, long enough for Keith to hiss through his teeth at the sudden urge for  _ more.  _ But Shiro only sighed and moved his lips down the center of Keith, trailing as low as he could before his chin dipped into the surface of the water.

“You’re so beautiful.” Shiro brought his mouth back to Keith’s, and let them collide again, softer, sweeter this time around. Keith held him there with his free hand until he felt his lips grow sore and even though he still craved more, the pressing warmth beneath the water held promise. He rocked his hips up once, just to try, and thrilled at the moan it drew from both of them.

“Fuck.” There was a minute drag of Shiro’s palm against his ass and Keith sucked in another gasp at the sensation. “Shiro, god, I want you in me.” He rolled his hips again for emphasis. “Please, even if it’s just this once--”

“It won’t be, Keith. I promise.” Shiro hushed Keith with another kiss and pressed their foreheads together, fingers trembling as he kept Keith spread under him. The water wasn’t going to soothe enough of the burn, but Keith still took the stretch beautifully. Shiro was so, so careful with him, like he had done this already a thousand times.

Keith laughed breathlessly and admitted it, sucking in a deep breath when Shiro gasps, “I  _ have _ .” He pressed in a second finger and dragged his teeth up against the line of Keith’s jaw to whisper, “In my dreams, Keith, I’ve made love to you a thousand times.” The words sent a jolt of heat curling through Keith, and he pressed down on Shiro’s fingers, the act making his toes curl. “This doesn’t even begin to compare.  _ Keith… _ ”

The burn becomes evident with the third finger, but Keith is more focused on the obscene splash of the water rocking back and forth between them. He opened his eyes for just a moment to re-focus, heart fluttering at the sight of Shiro above him, bathed in the soft red glow of the fauna that highlights his half-lidded gaze and the concentrated set of his lips. It’s a look Keith wanted to kiss away.

So he did.

He dragged his hand from the back of Shiro’s head to cup his cheek, braced enough now to tilt his head down and scatter lovebites along his neck. Shiro’s breath hitched on the first one, and Keith wouldn’t have thought much of it other than the initial shock but the fingers plunging into him definitely picked up speed.

Another subconscious roll of their hips together have them both groaning, and Keith took advantage of the moment to dig the heels of his feet harder into Shiro’s back. Their gazes met for the first time since dipping into the water and the understanding rocking between them snapped. Keith was allotted one breath before Shiro brought their lips together and removed his hand.

He was fully ready to complain about the sudden, gaping absence, but Shiro’s reassuring murmurs against his ear kept Keith quiet for a moment more.

Just until he felt Shiro’s cockhead press against him.

It was so, so tempting to arch his back and shut his eyes, but Keith kept their foreheads together, eyes locked as Shiro slid in with a sure snap of his hips. The intrusion knocked a whine out of Keith despite all of Shiro’s careful prepping, so they paused like that for just a moment, breath intertwining as Keith adjusted to the hot cock inside him.

“You feel so good.” The strain in Shiro’s voice was enough to make Keith’s lips quirk up with pride, but god, did he need the moment to breathe. Shiro was -- well -- he was always a big guy. Figured he would be big all around.

When the water stilled again in perfect ripples around them, Keith hesitantly moved his hips back and forth. The action was enough to startle a moan from Shiro, who dug his fingers harder into the skin of Keith’s hips in retaliation. “I can take it, Shiro.” Keith murmured, reveling as the burn gave way to pleasure. “God, Shiro, fuck, you’re so big. All mine.”

“Yours.” Shiro snapped his hips back up, slamming into Keith. The cave echoed with their moans, their breathless gasps, the slap of the water as Shiro fucks into Keith. Deep down, Keith knew he would unravel faster if he allowed Shiro to curve above him instead of keeping their foreheads pressed together.

But even this didn’t feel like close enough -- they hadn’t even finished and already Keith was aching with the want for more, more times of intimacy, more breathless gasps in his ear and bites along his neck, more Shiro.

“Keith…”

“Shiro..!”

If they had the luxury of a bed and lube, maybe they could have dragged it out longer. As it was, Shiro hadn’t touched another human in years and Keith was still trembling from hearing his feelings returned. He came at the first touch of Shiro’s hand over his cock and took Shiro with him in breathless wonder.

It took them both a moment to blink the stars from their eyes. Shiro was the first to pull away, fruitless in his chivalry since Keith kept him locked tight. “Just another moment.” He panted, “Please, just a minute more.”

Shiro answered with a soft chuckle and stayed where he was curved against Keith, holding him up until the other man finally relented. “We have our entire lives ahead of us, Keith.”

“Sorry.” Keith at least had the grace to blush, but Shiro kissed at the color blossoming there in silent reassurance. Once again Keith was manhandled up into Shiro’s arms, all too happy to hang there as Shiro moved them into deeper water to scrub the both of them clean.

“Don’t be sorry.” They pressed close together once more and held still. Keith felt more than willed his eyes closed, breathing soft as Shiro brought his hands up to cup Keith’s cheeks. “You have no need to apologize for anything, Keith.” He pressed a kiss soft as air against Keith’s scarred cheek. “I love you.”

In the quiet of the cave, Shiro smiled when those words echoed back in quiet reverence and tilted Keith’s chin up for one more lingering kiss.

…

“I kind of like it long.” Keith looked up from his list of supplies and smiled, the sight of Shiro combing self-consciously through his unusually long hair a saccharine sight. “I know we cut it short last time, but I might keep it at this length this time around.” Shiro turned his gaze to Keith and gave him a kind, open smile. “What do you think?”

“Won’t you get annoyed by it?” Keith offered. The others always teased him for his ‘mullet’, but it had been helpful against the harsh summer rays in the desert. Now it was long enough to tie into a braid reminiscent of Kolivan’s own style.

"Mm.”

“For what it’s worth, I like it.” Pidge offered from her screen.

“Thanks, Pidge.” It was enough to get a smile from Shiro, anyway. The other screens blinked with activity until Hunk, Lance, and Allura were there as well.

“Oh, Shiro, will you do it in a braid like Keith?” Allura’s eyes were near sparkling with the possibilities. She didn’t need to know that Keith had offered earlier only for him to frustrate himself with the soft, decidedly un-braidable texture of Shiro’s hair.

Noisy munching from Hunk’s screen drowned out Lance’s followup suggestion, but Keith could have sworn he heard a suggestion for a bun. He gave Shiro a one-over and decided, no, that would be way too distracting, and he had a ship to pilot later.

Shiro just laughed along as the others chattered away. With the way the conversation melded and moved, you would have never thought Shiro had been gone -- and even then, that was still partially true. The other Shiro was somewhere on Earth living his own path, but Keith wasn’t bringing him up and neither were the other Paladins. They would cross that bridge when it was needed.

“So, what’s the plan for you two?” Hunk finally asked between lulls in excited chatter.

“We need to finish here first,” Diabazaal was their first stop, no surprises there, “then we thought New Altea. For, uh.” Here Keith’s breath stuttered. He glanced back to Shiro, unsure, and found himself crowded against the screen as Shiro squeezed in next to him.

“For the wedding.” Shiro announced with not even a hint of worry. The chat immediately blew up again in exclaims, but Shiro shushed them to quiet with the practiced ease of a leader he always had. Keith was still squirming with nerves, but his wide grin was impossible to misconstrue.

Pidge was the first to call out. “I call best man for Shiro!” 

“Well I get Keith, then!” Lance demanded. Even though he hadn’t been Lance’s best man at his wedding to Allura, Keith made no objection, just slid Shiro a knowing gaze. Just so long as no one suggested a bachelor party…

By the time Shiro reached over and ended the call, the two of them had been assured everything would be in order by the time they arrived in the capital. Keith sat back in his seat with a sigh and went to review the list in his hands, but Shiro plucked it from his hands and inserted himself into that space instead. With a knowing smile, Keith reached forward and wrapped his arms around Shiro’s waist, cheek resting against the broad expanse of Shiro’s chest. “I knew they’d make a fuss.”

“They’d make more of one if we eloped.” Shiro chuckled. 

“Whatever. You’re squishing me.” Even if Keith had grown from his time under the Blades of Marmora, that didn’t compare to the massive bulk of his soon-to-be-husband. He swatted at Shiro’s ass and laughed when Shiro exhaled with surprise.

Shiro let his hands trailed down the senior officer’s uniform Keith had borrowed and clutched at the opening just beneath his collarbones. “You look nice in this.”

“You look nice too.” It had taken a lot of workaround, but they had managed to find a uniform that would fit even Shiro. It wasn’t something Keith knew he wanted until the moment he saw Shiro walk out wearing it. “Is it...OK?”

“The Marmora were the ones that saved me, both you and your brothers and sisters of the blade. It’s fine, Keith.” Shiro lanced through Keith’s innocent question with no hesitance, then squirmed a little farther into Keith’s lap. Keith sucked in a breath in response. “Actually…”

“We’re going to be late.” Keith put on his best authoritative act. It was pretty watery compared to Shiro, but hey there was an effort.

Shiro just raised a single eyebrow in question.

“I would rather,” he plucked at Shiro’s uniform, suddenly a bit shy, “take my time with you, Takashi.”

“We’ll spend our honeymoon exploring the stars and each other?”

“Terribly romantic.” Keith laughed.

Shiro dipped his head and kissed Keith, again and again, until they were breathless and seeing stars themselves.

Because this was a reality where love was unashamed, unapologetic, and most importantly, everlasting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kosmo is the best third wheel you could ask for, but Keith and Shiro definitely end up adopting a baby boy 2 years into their marriage. Just to even it out, you know. ;3c
> 
> Please leave a comment if you'd like! Find me over on Twitter yelling some more about Sheith


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